In day two of our winter retreat, we take a new look at the concept of emotions. 

I know that people have a fear that meditation won't work, is not working or will lead to a kind of void. I hear it often. People think that if they were to practice meditation with determination and get proficient at it, everything would morph into an empty void and they wouldn’t feel anything anymore or they'd feel worse in some way.

The fear that meditation won't do "enough" is also a fear.

We find a place in the middle, where one is neither overcome by emotion, which often leads to negative actions and consequences, nor repressing and avoiding our emotional states. That place in the middle, which is mindfulness, is a place of discovery, exploration, and enrichment and is available when you see emotions as part of you that is fluid and without a need to control.

Prompts for you to explore:

• How did you view emotions as a child? What were you taught about emotions?
• What was the message you had about uncomfortable emotions?
• Who in your life expressed emotions well or, not well?
• Were you allowed to express emotions?
• In what ways did you express emotions as a child?
• As an adult, how do you express emotions?
• Are you comfortable expressing or even feeling a range of emotions?

Imagine the photo below to represent emotions. What are the top three emotions that you might see? Which emotions overlap more? What are on the surface? Which are buried in the back but peeking through?

How does this connect to how you feel in the winter months?